On the night of March 15, Raymond Durham allegedly shot and injured two police officers in Detroit. On Friday, Durham faces a hearing to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. His defense attorney, Gabi Silver, says Durham suffers from mental illness and has not even been able to communicate. “I don’t believe he is able to competently assist in his defense at this time,” Silver said at a previous court appearance, according to ClickOnDetroit. “He appears to be somewhat delusional.” A judge will now determine whether Durham is fit to stand trial. Watch the hearing in the player above.
Prosecutors say that on the night of the shootings, officers stopped Durham, who was walking, when he pulled a gun on them and fired. Officers fired back, were unable to subdue Durham right away. After a manhunt that lasted more than two hours, police finally apprehended him. Durham himself had gunshot wounds, authorities said, and he was treated at a hospital.
Chief James Craig said that Durham’s alleged attack was “unprovoked,” and that even when he was finally caught, he still fought with police. “”He was aggressively trying to kill our officers,” Chief Craig said at a news conference.
Police also say that DNA collected from the scene resulted in a match that makes Durham a murder suspect in the November 16 shooting death of Wayne State University Sgt. Collin Rose. Charges against a previous suspect in that case were dropped after surveillance video showed the suspect at a different location at the time of the shooting.
On the day of Durham’s arraignment, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said, “Any time a police officer is injured is a stark reminder of how much law enforcement puts on the line every minute of every day.”
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